Stirrup-fastening



(ModelL) W. H.YKIRBY.

STIRRUP FASTENING.

Patented Dec. 6,1881.

N. PETERS Phumumo m mr. Walmlgtnn, 11c.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. KIRBY, OF WARSAW, KENTUCKY.

STIRRUP-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,547, dated December6, 1881,

Application filed May 19, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W. H. KIRBY, a citizen of the United States, aresident of Warsaw, in the county of Gallatin and State of Kentucky,have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Stirrup-Fastenings; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear. and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same,referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making apart of this specification,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention has relation to improvements in stirrups or metallicbindings for holding together the crossing bars of gates, fences, orother articles; and it consists in the construction and. novelarrangement of the endlessmetallic binding having pairs of loopsarranged in angular relation to each other and grooved or ridged ontheir inner faces, as hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is the production of a device wherebycrossing bars can be held in firm relative position without beingweakened, and whereby the fastening will hold its place securely. Thisfastening or stirrup is designed for use at any point where bars cross,the precise shape and size depending on the form, dimensions, andrelative position of the bars, and in the annexed drawings are shownseveral forms of the stirrup, these beingespecially adapted to holdtogether the parts of a gate or fence.

Figure 1 represents a form applicable to bars crossing each other atright angles-as, for instance, the uprights and rail-bars of a fence. Inthis stirrup, a and I) indicate two sets of loops, which are arranged inpairs, the numbers or loops of each pair being at right angles tothoseof the other. The loops consist of the straps c and the two arms (I(I, and the arms of the loops are continuous at cl, but have theirplanes at right angles, as shown, so that the broad or flat side of eacharm serves as a hearing for the edge of the bar in contact therewith.The inner or bearing faces of the straps form'- ing the loops aregrooved or ridged, as indicated ate, parallel longitudinal grooves orridges being employed. In using this stirrup one bar is designed to heslipped through one set of opposite loops, and the other bar through the(ModeL) loops composing the other set or pair. The depth of the loops orthe length of their arms will be determined by the thickness of thecrossed bars, it being designed that when these bars are in place theyshall be bound closely by the stirrup, the ridges e of the latter bitinginto the wood-,so that there will be no slipping.

. In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a form of stirrup which is applicablewhere two bars crossing at right angles are met by a third bar at adifferent angle. In this instance the loops of each pair differ inlength, and while the loops of one pair are parallel those of the otherare not. The parallel loops are marked 9 g, the latter being the longer.h h designate the members of the divergent pair of loops, the formerloop, h, being at right angles to the planes of the loops g g, and theloop It being oblique to said planes, as shown in the drawings. Threesets of connecting-arms, t', in. this fastening are similar to thoseillustrated in Fig. 1, connect ing the straps; but thefourth arm orbearing, k, connecting the extended ends of the longer straps of theloops g h, is triangular in crosssection, so thatit has an obliquebearin g-face, 7c.

The loops 9 g h it have the grooves or ridges e.

on their insidefaces, as above described. This stirrup may beeffectively employed in holding together the end upright of a gate, thetop rail, and the end of an oblique brace.

Fig. 3 represents a diamond form of stirrup, designed for use inconnecting bars which cross each other at a low angle, as thecross-braces of a gate. In this form the loops at and n are arranged inpairs, and the loops of each pair are parallel; but their angularrelation to each other is oblique, so that the stirrup has oppositeacute an gles,z, and opposite obtuse angles, 2, as shown in thedrawings. The armspp, connecting the oblique straps of the loops, aretriangular in cross-section, having bearingfaces g, which are flush withthe inner edges ofthe straps, as shown in the drawings.

It is designed to cast these stirrnp-fastenings or angular bands eachentire, of one piece of metal, in the forms and sizes required for thebars to be joined.

I am aware thata stirrup-fastening has been patented for holdingcrossing bars; but one pair of its loops are curved, forming roundingangles, and it has no broad arms; also, that ridges have been used; butthese are in the grooves 0r ridges, and broad bearing-arms conv shape ofteeth and arranged lengthwise of the necting said straps, ashereinbefore shown and line of slip. I lay no claim to theseccnstrucdescribed. tions. In testimony that I claim the above I have 155 Having described this invention, What I hereunto subscribed my name inthe presence claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, of twoWitnesses.

A stirrup-fastening or angular band, having WILLIAM KIRBY' two setsot'opposite rectangular loops, arranged Witnesses:

10 in planes at right angles with each other, JOHN J. PAYNE, andconsisting of straps having longitudinal JAMES W. CRAIG.

